What is the first dessert you have made? My answer without any pondering would be Flan…
Yes, Flan is the first dessert I’ve made when I was young and believe me I have never screwed up this dessert. I used to make this often and was served with high enthusiasm for almost all parties. What I love about this dessert: it’s such a humble dessert which calls for only 4 ingredients, it’s one of the easiest and the yummiest dessert that can be made in your kitchen with much ease.
Flan is a rich custard dessert topped with caramel layer and is made by steaming or baking. It originated from Europe.
Even though the recipe for flan calls for just milk, egg and sugar, the measurement of these ingredients could be changed according to your needs. Even I don’t have a precise measurement, each time I make it I vary the amount of milk, sugar and eggs accordingly. Some times I add more eggs, other times less eggs and so on. So, last time when I made flan I made sure to note down the measurements that I had used.
More eggs you add more rich it would get, from my experience 4 eggs are good enough. Also, you could make this with skim milk. I’ve seen people making flan by baking, but I prefer steam cooking as I have been using this method all these years.
Here is the video for making the perfect Flan
- Milk- 1½ cups
- Eggs, large - 4
- Sugar - ½ cup
- Whole Cardamom, crushed- 2 (optional)
- Vanilla extract- 1 tsp
- Sugar- ½ cup
- Water- 2 tbsp
- In a large bowl, beat the the eggs using a whisk until smooth.
- Add milk, sugar and vanilla extract, beat well.
- Add crushed whole cardamom into the mixture, combine well (adding cardamom is optional) and keep aside.
- Place a non-stick cooking pan over medium heat, add sugar and water, let the sugar completely dissolve in water.
- Cook until the sugar starts to turn golden brown in color- do not stir the mixture while the caramelization happens.
- Remove the pan from the stove.
- Have the ramekins ready.
- Immediately pour the caramelized sugar onto each ramekin to form the bottom layer, let stand for 2 minutes until the caramek sugar has set well.
- Over the caramel layer, pour the prepared milk and egg mixture.
- Cover the ramekin with an aluminum foil and keep aside.
- Add 1 cup water into a large cooking pot. Place a trivet over the water.
- Place the pot over medium heat.
- Place the ramekins with the flan mixture covered with aluminum foil on the trivet.
- Cover the pot with its lid and let steam cook for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, remove the pot from the heat, let cool down a bit.
- Carefully take out the ramekins with the flan from the pot. Wear an oven mitt as the bowl is very hot.
- Remove the aluminum foil and chill the flan in the refrigerator for an hour.
- Run a knife through the sides of the ramekin to loosen up the flan.
- Cover the ramekin with a dessert plate.
- Gently flip it over.
- Flan will nicely fall onto the plate and now you will have the caramel sugar layer on the top.
- Indulge in this rich, creamy and delicious flan.
- Preheat oven to 325 F or 162 degree C.
- Pour the flan mixture into caramel lined ramekins.
- Cover the ramekins with aluminum foil.
- Place the ramekins on a large glass baking dish with 1 cup water in it.
- Bake for 1 hour or until the flan has set well in the hot water bath.
- Insert a fork through the center of the flan, if it comes out clean it's cooked well, else bake for some more time.
Leftover flan can be refrigerated covered with a plastic wrap, I don't think there will be any leftover 🙂
Flan Recipe
Ingredients:
- Milk- 1 1/2 cups
- Eggs – 4
- Sugar – 1/2 cup or according to your needs
- Whole cardamom, crushed (optional) – 2
- Vanilla essence (optional) – 1 tsp
For making Caramel:
- Sugar- 1/2 cup
- Water- 1/8 cup
Instruction
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until smooth.
- Combine milk, eggs, sugar and vanilla essence together.
- Add smashed whole cardamom into the mixture and keep aside.
Making Caramelized Sugar:
- In a non-stick cooking pan, add sugar and water, let the sugar completely dissolve in water. Cook until the sugar starts to turn light brown in color- do not stir the mixture.
- Remove the pan from the stove.
- Have a glass bowl or ramekins or stainless steel plate ready.
- Immediately pour the caramel into the glass bowl or to each ramekin to form the bottom layer, let it stand for a while until it sets.
- Over the caramel layer, pour the prepared milk and egg mixture.
- Cover the bowl with an aluminum foil and keep aside.
How to Steam cook the flan:
- Add 1 1/2 cups of water into a wide non-stick cooking pan or pot.
- Place the pot over medium heat.
- Place the bowl with the mixture covered with aluminum foil over the water.
- Cover the pot with its lid and let it steam cook for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, remove the pot from the heat, let it cool down a bit.
- Carefully take out the glass bowl with the flan from the pot. Wear oven gloves as the bowl would be very hot.
- Remove the aluminum foil and let it cool down for few minutes.
How to plate:
- Run a knife through the sides of the flan in the bowl.
- Cover the bowl containing the flan with a plate.
- Gently invert the plate holding onto the bowl.
- Flan will fall onto the plate and now you will have the caramel layer facing up.
- Chill the flan for an hour in the refrigerator.
- Using a knife, cut the flan in whatever shape you want.
- Indulge in this dessert and enjoy!
How to Bake Flan:
- Preheat oven to 325 F or 162 degree C.
- Pour the flan mixture into caramel lined ramekins or bowls.
- Cover the ramekins with aluminum foil.
- Place the ramekins on a large glass baking dish filled with 1-2 inches of hot water.
- Bake for 1 hour or until the flan is set in the hot water bath.
- Run a sharp knife through the center of the flan, if it comes out clean it’s ready, else bake for some more time.
Tips:
- Flan tastes delicious if it is chilled so don’t forget to chill it before serving.
- Leftover flan can be refrigerated covered with a plastic wrap, I don’t think there will be any leftover 🙂
